Retail supply system

ABSTRACT

An automatic system for replenishing display shelves in retail businesses. The display shelves each including a shelf board having a conveyor belt circulating around the respective shelf board. Each of the display shelves further including a stop bar and a removable fall-off guard at respective front and rear sides of the display shelves to prevent goods from falling off the display shelves and, wherein, the display shelf is designed to cooperate with a shelf-stocking vehicle such that the fall-off guard is automatically opened when the display shelves are refilled by the shelf-stocking vehicle.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional application of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 11/567,965, entitled “RETAIL SUPPLY SYSTEM,” filed on Dec. 7,2006 by Walter Winkler, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) toU.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/748,299 filed on Dec. 7,2005, and which also claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(a)-(d) toApplication Serial No. 10 2005 058 478.07 filed in Germany on Dec. 7,2005. The entire disclosure of each of these applications isincorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention refers to a display shelf, a shelf-stockingvehicle, a device for transporting goods for sale into a display shelfas well as a repacking and transfer station, being used in such atransfer system device and a method for operating such devices.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the retail trade, a plurality of goods supplied by suppliers orcentral distribution centers need to be sorted into display shelves inthe retail business where they are then ready for sale to the customers.This is usually done purely manually by corresponding personnel in theretail business.

Aside from the refilling of the display shelves with new goods, it isprimarily also necessary in the retail businesses to push goods to thefront of the display from time to time, after individual goods have beensold, in order that a tidy and positive overall impression may bepresented to the purchasers. Especially in the case of retail businessesoffering high-quality goods and/or services, it is particularlyimportant to create an ambience for sophisticated customers thatencourages sales. An indispensable part of this is the pushing ortracking of goods stored in the shelves to the very front of the displayin order that the impression may be conveyed to the customer that he canchoose from a new, fresh and complete range, without having to make dowith selected or leftover goods. For this reason, more than one-third ofthe sales personnel in some retail businesses, such as supermarkets andthe like, spend their time filling or closing gaps in display shelvesthat have arisen from sold goods.

Additionally, the sales personnel must also refill the shelves with therepeat deliveries of goods.

To this end, the goods, mostly delivered by truck, first have to beunpacked from the packaging, such as boxes, and transported to thecorresponding shelves where they are sorted into the correspondingdisplay compartments. This involves considerable effort.

Effort is especially involved in ensuring that those goods which, forexample, have an earlier expiration date, are always at the front. Sincereplenishment goods are generally also sorted into the shelf from thefront and these goods with their later expiration date first have to besorted into the back of the shelf, all the goods already in the shelffirst have to be removed, the replenishment goods have to be placed atthe rear of the shelf and then, in turn, the goods with the earlierexpiration date have to be arranged at the front.

Both pure tracking of the goods to the front of the shelf and re-sortingaccording to expiration dates lead to substantial effort that so far hashad to be performed manually by personnel.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the present invention to eliminate theaforementioned disadvantages of the hitherto method of tracking goods tothe front of display shelves and/or for providing replenishment suppliesto retail business and to provide overall a logistics concept orreplenishment system with correspondingly appropriate components, whichfacilitate simple supply of goods for sale to retail companies combinedwith an appealing presentation of the goods for the least possibleeffort.

An aspect of the present invention includes an automated tracking andreplenishment system or logistics concept for retail businesses, whichis technically feasible despite the many different objects for sale insuch a retail business, such as a supermarket.

Another aspect is the knowledge that tracking goods for sale to thefront or display side of a display shelf is simply possible with adisplay shelf having conveyor belts on which the goods for sale arestored, with the conveyor belts being wound around the shelf boards ascontinuous belts and, through a movement of the conveyor belt wherebythe belt section arranged on the top of the shelf board is moved towardsthe front side or display side of the display shelf, the goods arrangedthereon are tracked in a simple manner.

To prevent the goods on the conveyor belt from falling off the shelf onreaching the front of the display shelf, a stop bar can be provided atthe front of the display shelf, the bar provided just above the shelfboard in the form of a narrow strip, in order to provide a stop in thelower section of the sales goods. The stop bar is arranged at a distancefrom the shelf board such that a gap is formed between shelf board andstop bar, through which gap the conveyor belt is guided. Therefore, ifthe conveyor is actuated, it first guides the goods on the conveyor beltto the stop bar. As soon as the goods make contact with the stop bar,the conveyor belt glides between the shelf board and the goods, with thegoods drawn by friction with the conveyor belt towards the stop bar,where they arrange themselves in a self-organizing manner as a result.

At the opposite side of the display side can be provided a fall-offguard, similar to the stop bar, with the guard preventing goods in theshelf from falling off the rear if pressure is applied to them from thedisplay side. The fall-off guard may also be formed as a correspondingbar, which can be additionally designed to be movable in order that thefall-off guard may be removed when refilling of the shelf is performedfrom the rear, which will be described in more detail later. At the sametime, the fall-off guard may also form a transition element for bridgingthe gap between the shelf board and a shelf-stocking vehicle deliveringthe goods. The transition element can comprise drive wheels, driverolls, gear wheels or other drives and continuously circulating drivechains and/or belts. The drive and/or the transition element of theconveyor belts can be designed such that idling of the drive and/orconveyor belts on an external drive or manual drive of the conveyorbelts and/or drive by a shelf-stocking vehicle, is at least adjustableor permanent.

The fall-off guard may be formed so as to be a foldable or rotatable baror as a roller shutter or the like. The fall-off guard may also beactuated by the shelf-stocking vehicle which will be described later.

The conveyor belt for the shelf boards may be moved either manually orby a corresponding drive and/or auxiliaries, such as hand cranks, whichcan be coupled into a corresponding gear, or electric-motor-drivencranks in the form of hand-operated electric motors, such as drillingmachines or battery-powered screwdrivers or the like, which can also becoupled into corresponding gears. Furthermore, drives arranged at thedisplay shelves are also conceivable. In this regard, it is conceivablethat one drive be provided for a plurality of conveyor belts, the drive,for example, capable of being coupled into or out of corresponding gearsfor driving individual or all conveyor belts at the same time. It isadditionally also conceivable, as will be described further below, thatautomatically driven drive devices may be advanced to the correspondingconveyor belts. The drive can be provided at least partially at theshelf boards and/or the frame and/or are framed as separate components.The drive can comprise motors or electric motors, which can bepermanently installed and/or manually or automatically movable towardsthe conveyor belt to be driven and, via coupling devices, in the form ofa drive wheel, a drive roll or a gear, can be coupled to the conveyorbelts and/or to the drive, such as rollers and the like, assigned tothem.

According to an aspect of the present invention, for which protection issought independently and in combination with other aspects, in the caseof a display shelf comprising two or more shelf boards, of which atleast one (e.g., each shelf board), has one or more conveyor belts,there is provided a central drive, which drives the conveyor belts ofthe entire display shelf or one module thereof centrally.

With such a central drive, it is possible to ensure continuous trackingof the goods for sale in the display shelf to the front or display sidein a simple fashion. Such a drive may be operated continuously at a verylow drive speed, such that the customer scarcely sees or perceives thetracking of the goods for sale to the front or display side, yetcontinuous tracking of the goods does in fact occur.

The central drive keeps the design and operating outlay for a displayshelf low, even though the shelf may have a plurality of shelf boardsarranged beside each other and/or above each other in a frame, eachhaving one or more conveyor belts arranged beside each other.Additionally, the shelf boards may be formed and arranged differently.

The central drive preferably comprises a motor (e.g., an electricmotor), which drives a continuously circulating drive chain or drivebelt. The drive chain or drive belt can be coupled via coupling devicesto the conveyor belts and/or the drive means assigned to them, such thatindirect or direct propulsion of the conveyor belts can take place.

The coupling devices can comprise driving wheels, drive rolls,gearwheels or other drives that interact with the conveyor belts directand/or in accordance with the drive provided at the conveyor belts. Suchdrive may, for example, be rollers over which the conveyor belts areguided. Here, however, other implementation possibilities areconceivable, such as direct intervention by the coupling device into theconveyor belts and guiding of the conveyor belts over simple glidingelements.

The conveyor belts or the drive assigned to them can have, comparable tothe coupling devices on the drive side, a transition mechanism, suchthat the conveyor belts and/or the drive themselves can in turn driveone or more adjacent conveyor belts. In this way, shelf boards with aplurality of differently arranged and designed shelf boards can beprovided with conveyor belts driven by means of a central drive.

The transition mechanism, like the coupling devices, may be drivewheels, drive rolls, gearwheels or other gears as well as continuouslycirculating drive chains or drive belts.

The conveyor belts can each be guided around two parallel rollers, withthe first roller arranged at the display side of the shelf, while thesecond roller is provided at the rear side or interior side opposite thedisplay side. Propulsion can occur at the second roller or generally thesecond drive at the rear side or interior side of the display shelf. Itis contemplated that the transition mechanism for driving adjacentconveyor belts can also be provided at the second roller or the seconddrive means at the rear side of the display shelf.

In order that, in addition to the central drive, an external drive maybe facilitated, for example for manual driving of the conveyor beltand/or propulsion by a shelf-stocking vehicle, the drive and/ortransition mechanism as well as the conveyor belts are designed suchthat idling at least is selectable. This may, for example, be realizedby appropriate decoupling of the drive chain or the drive belt from thecoupling devices.

However, permanent idling can be realized by an appropriate design ofthe drive through gears and the like, for example, in the replenishmentdirection, that is, movement towards the display side, such that, incombination with the shelf-stocking vehicle also described, or manually,additional tracking of the goods is possible.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, for whichprotection is sought independently and in combination with other aspectsof the invention, a display shelf is provided which has at least oneshelf board with a continuous conveyor belt and is formed so as to bemovable. This has the advantage that the display shelves can be arrangedin a space-saving manner in a store, with the display shelves capable ofbeing refilled at the same time from the rear, such that laboriousemptying of the display shelves and rearrangement of the goods can beeliminated.

Two or more display shelves can be composed to form one display shelf orone display shelf unit, more precisely such that the display sides pointaway from each other and the shelves are placed so that their backs faceeach other. Now, if at least one of the display shelves or a partthereof is designed so as to be movable, a transport route orreplenishment aisle can be formed between the parts of the displayshelves in order that goods for both shelf parts may be tracked from therear into the shelf boards.

Aside from the possibility of designing only one of the display shelvesor only one side or one part of the display shelf to be movable, afurther possibility consists in designing all parts or both sides of thedisplay shelf to be movable, such that only one part of the sales spacein front of each display shelf or in front of each display side has tobe used for forming the replenishment aisle.

It is contemplated that at least one drive device (for example, aseparate drive device for each shelf part), is provided for moving theshelf part(s).

The conveyor belts of the shelf boards can be formed from a fabric orother flexible material, such as a film, for example, from plastic andfrom plastic fabric. These may have appropriately modified surfaces thatfacilitate simple gliding over the shelf board and/or at the same time,on one hand, transport of the goods and, on the other, gliding relativeto the goods. The upper and lower sides of the conveyor belts may havedifferent properties matched to the various requirements.

Additionally, it is an advantage to provide the shelf boards, especiallythe faces, with corresponding gliding and/or guide elements for theconveyor belts, for example, in the form of rollers, curved or roundedgliding surfaces or the like. In this way, simple gliding of theconveyor belts around the shelf boards can be achieved. It can alsoallow manual pushing of the conveyor belts with the palm of the handapplied to the bottom of the shelf boards.

A plurality of shelf floors can also be provided beside each otherand/or above each other in the shelf or in a frame forming the shelfwith shelf boards, with one or more conveyor belts capable of beingarranged beside each other at one shelf board.

In order that the goods may be prevented from breaking out from the sideduring automatic tracking, lateral separation elements may be providedthat subdivide the display shelf into corresponding compartments. Thevertical struts of the shelf frame may also be used for this.

However, a flexible division into compartments using lateral dividerswhich may be flexibly arranged in order that flexible compartmentaldivisions may be formed can be used in which, within a grid spacingdetermined by the shelf struts, all kinds of compartments with differentconveyor belts and/or a variable number of conveyor belts are arranged.

In another aspect of the present invention, the replenishment systemprovides for a shelf-stocking vehicle for transporting goods to a shelf,the vehicle receiving the goods on a transport surface and beingautomatically movable along a predetermined route. Such a shelf-stockingvehicle is characterized by the fact that a handling mechanism isassigned to the transport surface that serves to displace the goodsplaced on the transport surface parallel to the transport surface, suchthat the individual goods and very many different goods can betransferred from the shelf-stocking vehicle onto the shelf board of theshelf. Different goods in this regard means that, in various transports,all kinds of goods can be received, with transport of similar goodsbeing preferred for any individual transport.

The handling mechanism here may take the form of one or more pushers,or, similarly to the display shelf of the invention, one or moreconveyor belts may be provided which are wound around the transportsurface in an endless loop.

Correspondingly, gliding and/or guide elements can be provided for theconveyor belts, for example, in the form of rollers, curved or roundedgliding surfaces or the like. The conveyor belts of the shelf-stockingvehicle may be designed so as to be identical with or similar to theconveyor belts of the display shelf.

Additionally, a drive may again be provided for the conveyor belt(s),for example, in the form of a drive roll.

An advantage in this regard is that the shelf-stocking vehicle and thedisplay shelf of the invention can be matched to each other such that,with the assistance of the drive for the conveyor belt(s) of theshelf-stocking vehicle, the conveyor belts of the display shelf can alsobe driven, more precisely, for example, by means of a correspondingdrive wheel, a drive shaft or a drive roll or any other gear device thatcan interact with the conveyor belts or the drive of the display shelvesprovided for this purpose. This means that, by saving on separate drivesfor the display shelf, costs can be kept low.

Such a shelf-stocking vehicle makes it possible to track goods into thedisplay shelf from the rear. For example, in connection with the displayshelf having conveyor belts in accordance with the invention, it ispossible by means of a shelf-stocking vehicle of the invention toapproach the shelf from behind, to move the goods by means of theconveyor belt of the shelf-stocking vehicle from the shelf-stockingvehicle towards the shelf, to simultaneously drive the conveyor belt ofthe shelf and to track the goods received there to the front of theshelf and to refill the shelf from the rear with new goods. As a result,time-consuming and labor-intensive activities are replaced by a fullyautomated process, such that the effort for filling the shelves ismarkedly reduced.

At the transition between the conveyor belt of the shelf-stockingvehicle and the conveyor belt of the display shelf, a transition elementcan be provided at the shelf-stocking vehicle to bridge the gap betweenthe two conveyor belts. Alternatively, the two conveyor belts may alsobe guided such that they are provided virtually seamlessly beside eachother or behind each other.

The simultaneous driving of the conveyor belt on the shelf-stockingvehicle and the conveyor belt in the display shelf allowssynchronization of the speed of the conveyor belts.

The shelf-stocking vehicle can have corresponding movement elements,such as running wheels and/or carrying wheels, for interacting with arunning rail or other movement elements that facilitate movement along aprescribed route.

Additionally, a drive can be provided at the shelf-stocking vehicle thatfacilitates independent movement of the shelf-stocking vehicle.Alternatively, the drive may also be integrated into the route, by atraction rope or a traction chain.

In a further embodiment, the shelf-stocking vehicle has a two-partframe, with the upper part arranged, for example, as the drive unit withthe movement and drive as a suspended rail vehicle on a rail, while thelower part provides the transport surface and the handling mechanism forthe goods. The division of the frame of the shelf-stocking vehicle intoan upper part and a lower part has an advantage that these can bedesigned so as to be movable relative to each other, for example in theform of a rope, strap or belt suspension. This, in turn, has anadvantage, as will be explained later, of allowing simple approach tothe shelf compartments or shelf boards of the display shelf andsimultaneously unimpeded transport, for example, at the ceiling of asales room.

The handling mechanism, the drive or other movable components can have adrive in the form of an electric motor. The power supply in thisconnection may be secured by corresponding conductor rails on thetransport route.

The transport surface can have all-round protection for the goods in theform of sidewalls and/or a cover element, such that the goods areprotected against falling out and over during transport. For example,the protective cover opposite the transport surface may be designed soas to be movable and/or divided, such that goods of different height maybe received and protected. In one example, the protective cover can bedesigned such that, when the upper and lower parts close together, it ismoved against the goods and additionally protects them by wedging themwith a force limited to a maximum value.

In another embodiment, the cover of aluminum or plastic has an elasticsubstance (e.g., on the goods side), such as foam or the like, on itsunderside that wedges against the goods and keeps them protected. Inthis embodiment, it is contemplated that the weight of the cover besufficient for wedging in this connection.

The shelf-stocking vehicle can be provided with supporting elements, forexample, movable bracing elements for lateral bracing against walls,shelves and the like, more precisely during transfer of the goods to ashelf, such that the shelf-stocking vehicle or the transport surface isfirmly held, especially horizontally, during transfer. It can be anadvantage here if the support elements are formed so as to be mobile inorder that they, for example, can move telescopically againstcorresponding walls, shelves and the like. It can also be an advantagein the case of shelves standing opposite each other which form atransport aisle for the shelf-stocking vehicle to form the bracingelements such that the shelf-stocking vehicle can wedge itself againstor between the shelves.

Additionally, the transport surface and/or the handling mechanism can beformed so as to be displaceable relative to the frame of theshelf-stocking vehicle or relative to the movement elements, that is,for example, the rail in which the shelf-stocking vehicle is movablymounted, in order that approach by the transport surface and/or thehandling mechanism may be facilitated from the transport route towardsthe shelf.

From another aspect of the present invention comprises a device intowhich components, such as the display shelf and shelf-stocking vehicledescribed so far can be integrated, the device is a device fortransporting goods for sale into a display shelf, wherein ashelf-stocking vehicle is movable along a transport route andautomatically transports the goods to one or more display shelves andtransfers them to these.

This can proceed by means of the previously described shelf-stockingvehicles in interaction with the display shelves also describedpreviously.

The device of the invention can have a transport route in the form ofone or more transport loops, which can be formed as endless loops, withthe individual loops connected to each other by corresponding transferpoints for the goods.

Different transport vehicles or systems, such as roller or chainconveyors and the like, may be used in the transport loops such thatdifferent transfer points can be realized. Each of the transport loopscan have at least one or more transport vehicles assigned to thistransport loop, with the previously described shelf-stocking vehicle ofthe invention used in those shelf-stocking loops which are guidedtowards or along the display shelf.

The transport route can extend from a delivery area where the goods aredelivered by truck and/or an automated small parts store to the displayshelves, with the shelf-stocking loops guided in endless loops throughthe display shelf.

The display shelves can be arranged relative to the transport route suchthat they form a transport route aisle or supply aisle between them,through which the shelf-stocking vehicles can travel. Loading of thedisplay shelf then proceeds from the rear of the display shelves or fromthe transport route aisle or supply aisle.

As already described previously, the shelf-stocking vehicles and thedisplay shelves can be matched to each other such that automatic loadingand/or automatic tracking of the goods in the shelves towards thedisplay side can be performed by the shelf-stocking vehicle.

For the purpose of temporary buffering of goods, the transport route canalso have at least one temporary store in which the goods can be storedtemporarily. A temporary store can, for example, be arranged above thedisplay shelves as well.

Additionally, storage and/or supply shelves can be provided, which canalso be automatically supplied or loaded by the shelf-stocking vehicleand which can provide goods, which are not sold in shelves, but ratheron sales tables, such as fruit and vegetables, so that these can be madeavailable to the employees for further processing.

With the device of the invention or the shelf-stocking vehicle, thegoods can each be handled directly, or transport and/or presentationcontainers may be provided in which the goods are grouped together.

In one aspect of the present invention, the device of the invention canhave at least one control unit, which controls the entire device, forexample, during loading of the shelf-stocking vehicles, movement of theshelf-stocking vehicles, their unloading and the loading of the shelvesand/or tracking of the goods in the shelves.

It is possible to install a fully automated operation for replenishmentand/or tracking of the goods to a display side of the shelf. This canproceed, for example, in such a way that one or more capturing devices,for example, scanners or cameras can be provided, which capture thetype, quantity and/or the position of the goods, for example, in theshelves and transfer these to the control units. The scanner(s) orcamera(s) can in this regard be provided at a shelf-stocking vehicle orbe movable independently along the sales or storage shelves. The data atthe cash desks on the number and type of goods sold can also be includedin order that replenishment of the goods may be organized.

Unpacking stations for the delivered goods may also be integrated, whichfacilitates automatic unpacking, for example, from standardizedtransport containers.

Where presentation containers are used in the shelves, repacking of thedelivered goods may additionally be necessary, such that one or morerepacking stations may also be integrated.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, such a repackingstation has a turning module with which a transport and/or presentationcontainer can be turned upside down, such that the goods come to rest ona support and the container can be simply removed or swapped.

The turning module can have corresponding receptacles for the containerand adjustable supports that facilitate approach of the support to thegoods to be received, for example, with two opposing receptaclesoffering the advantage of allowing two repacking processes to take placesimultaneously. In one embodiment, two transport devices are assigned tothe turning module for feeding and removing the containers to beswapped.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, a transfersystem is provided for transferring loose goods or objects, such asbottles, cans and the like, from a transport container to a placementarea, for example, the transport surface of a shelf-stocking vehicle.This transfer system, which can be integrated into the transport routeof the previously described device and into a primary-supply loop with aroller conveyor there, has a transport container which is designed as aquadratic tray, which possesses a double floor and four low peripheralsidewalls. The upper floor part of the double floor is freely movable orplaced loosely in the container, such that the upper floor part with thegoods or objects arranged thereon can be raised in the container. Thiscan, for example, proceed by means of a lifting device that hascorresponding spikes for reaching through the lower floor part. Theupper floor part is lifted to the extent that a pusher arrangement witha pusher assigned to the lifting device can push the loosely arrangedgoods on the upper floor part onto an adjacent placement surface, suchas the transport surface of the shelf-stocking vehicle. To prevent theloose goods or objects from breaking out, guide elements for the objectsto be pushed can be provided at the container and/or the pusher.

The guide elements may be designed either as sidewalls projecting overthe edge of the container and/or as bars so as to be displaceable on theupper floor part. Alternatively or additionally, guide elements can beprovided at the pusher arrangement, for example, as movable slidingfingers, which are guided between or around the objects, such that theyare held laterally during the pushing process.

Overall, the presented logistics concept based on the individualcomponents of the invention facilitate a fully automated replenishmentof one or more retail business, such as supermarkets and the like, witha plurality of different products, such as bottles, cans, boxes and thelike. Tracking of the goods in the display shelf to the front or displayside is also possible fully automatically, for example, continuously orat fixed or flexible time intervals or on the basis of sales.Additionally, the individual components, also when used individually,facilitate simplification of individual handling steps that previouslyhad to be performed manually with effort.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further advantages, characteristics and features of the presentinvention are apparent from the following description of embodimentsusing the enclosed figures.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a retail business, which is fittedout with the device of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of a shelf-stocking vehicle;

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the shelf-stocking vehicle from FIG.2, rotated through 90°;

FIG. 4 is a view of a display shelf and a dedicated shelf-stockingvehicle;

FIG. 5 is a view of the display shelf from FIG. 4, rotated through 90°;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view through a display shelf;

FIG. 6A is a plan view of the shelf boards of the display shelf of FIG.6;

FIG. 7 is a side view of a loading station for a shelf-stocking vehicle;

FIG. 8 is the loading station from FIG. 7 in a later stage of loading;

FIG. 8A is a view of the pushing element loaded with goods;

FIG. 9 is a side view of a shelf-stocking vehicle in transport position;

FIG. 10 is a side view of a shelf-stocking vehicle during loading of adisplay shelf;

FIG. 11 is the view from FIG. 10 at a later stage of loading of theshelf-stocking vehicle or loading the display shelf;

FIG. 12 is a foldable transport container;

FIG. 13 is a presentation container;

FIG. 14 is a first step in the repacking process from a transportcontainer into a presentation container in a repacking station;

FIG. 15 is a second stage in the repacking process from FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a third stage in the repacking process from FIG. 14;

FIG. 17 is a fourth stage in the repacking process from FIG. 14;

FIG. 18 is a plan view of a further embodiment of a shelf arrangement inaccordance with the invention;

FIG. 19 is a side view of a display shelf and a shelf-stocking vehicle;

FIG. 20 is a side view of the display shelf and the display shelf fromFIG. 19 in another processing stage;

FIG. 21 is a side view of a further embodiment of a display shelf and ashelf-stocking vehicle during mutual interaction;

FIG. 22 is a three-dimensional view of a part of a transfer station;

FIG. 23 is a plan view of a transfer station;

FIG. 24 is a side view of a further embodiment of a display shelf;

FIG. 25 is a side view of yet a further embodiment of a display shelf;

FIG. 26 is a three-dimensional partial view of a drive for the conveyorbelts of a display shelf;

FIG. 27 is a side view of a separable display shelf in the closedcondition; and in FIG. 28 is a side view of the display shelf from FIG.17 in the separated condition.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

For purposes of description herein, the terms “upper,” “lower,” “right,”“left,” “rear,” “front,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” and derivativesthereof shall relate to the invention as orientated in FIG. 1. However,it is to be understood that the invention may assume various alternativeorientations, except where expressly specified to the contrary. It isalso to be understood that the specific devices and processesillustrated in the attached drawings, and described in the followingspecification are simply exemplary embodiments of the inventive conceptsdefined in the appended claims. Hence, specific dimensions and otherphysical characteristics relating to the embodiments disclosed hereinare not to be considered as limiting, unless the claims expressly stateotherwise.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of the floor plan of a retail business1, for example, a supermarket. The sales area indicated by therectangular floor plan, in the view shown in FIG. 1, is connected by theupper side of the figure to a delivery area 2 in which the trucksdeliver the goods to be sold. Into the delivery area extends aprimary-supply loop 3 of a transport device of the invention fortransporting the goods to the display shelves 12. A machine forautomatic depalletizing and loading the primary-supply loop 3 (notshown) may be provided in the delivery area of the area of theprimary-supply loop 3.

In the primary-supply loop 3, the various goods received there are movedin a circle and transferred at transfer stations 8, 9, 10 and 11 to theshelf-stocking loops 4, 5, 6 and 7. Shelf-stocking vehicles, which willbe described in detail later circulate in the shelf-stocking loops 4, 5,6, 7. These shelf-stocking vehicles take the goods from theprimary-supply loop and deliver them to the corresponding points of thedisplay shelves 12. Either identical transport vehicles or othersuitable transport devices, such as roller conveyors and the like, maybe installed in the primary-supply loop 3.

Naturally, it is also conceivable to provide just a singleshelf-stocking loop, such that the transfer stations 8, 9, 10, 11 andthe primary-supply loop 3 can be omitted.

The shelf-stocking loops 4, 5, 6 and 7 are designed such that they canbe passed through a supply aisle 13 formed between each of two displayshelves 12 in order that the display shelves may be stocked from therear while the customers, also shown schematically, can remove the goodsfrom the front side or display side.

As will be described in detail later, the shelf-stocking vehicles, whichare moved along the shelf-stocking loops 4, 5, 6 and 7, advantageouslytake on additionally the function of pushing the goods in the displayshelves 12 to the front side of the display shelves in addition to thefunction of stocking the display shelves 12.

As the schematic plan of the retail business 1 in FIG. 1 shows, inaddition to the display shelves 12, which are connected to the transportor supply device of the invention, additional display shelvesaccommodating goods, for example, that are not suitable for automaticshelf stocking, such as fresh fruit, are provided.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show side views at 90° angles to each other of ashelf-stocking vehicle 15 of the invention, which can be moved along theshelf-stocking loops 4, 5, 6 and 7 of FIG. 1.

The shelf-stocking vehicle 15 is arranged movably at a running rail 19via two running wheels 20 and guide wheels 21 arranged laterally tothem, the rail in turn capable of being arranged via a ceilingsuspension 16, for example at a building's ceiling. Conductor rails 22for supplying power to the shelf-stocking vehicle 15 via contactlessinductive current collectors or via sliding contacts are additionallyprovided at the running rail.

Furthermore, a toothed belt 17 is arranged at the ceiling suspension 16,the belt engaging with a drive belt disk 18, which is driven by anelectric motor 38 and thus can move the shelf-stocking vehicle 15 alongthe running rail 19.

Drive belt disk 18, electric motor 38, running wheels 20 and guidewheels 21 are arranged at an upper frame part 32 of the shelf-stockingvehicle 15.

At this upper frame part 32 of the shelf-stocking vehicle 15, twobelt-winding drums 23 are furthermore provided that are driven by anelectric motor 37 via a gear. The belt-winding drums 23 can wind andunwind belts 24, which suspend the lower frame part 33 of theshelf-stocking vehicle. In this way, the upper frame parts 32 and thelower frame parts 33 can move relative to each other.

The lower frame part 33 has a product carrier table 29 on which thegoods to be transported are stored. To protect the goods duringtransport, product sidewalls 25 are provided at two sides and twotransport protection flaps 26 are provided at the other sides.Additionally, the storage area for the goods on the product carriertable 29 of the shelf-stocking vehicle 15 is closed off by a cover 31,whose upper side has two bushings 39 into which the pins 40 from theupper frame 32 of the shelf-stocking vehicle 15 can engage. Theunderside of the cover may have an elastic material, for example, foam,which, in contact with the received goods, such as bottles, holds thesesecurely.

Above the product-basement table is a product pusher 27 which can movealong the upper side of the product-carrier table 29 via a beltarrangement 34. To this end, the belt 34 needs only be moved via therollers 35. Drive is provided by an electric motor 36.

Instead of the product pusher 27, which is connected to laterally guidedbelts 34, a continuous conveyor belt may be provided instead of thelateral belts 34, the conveyor belt also extending over the upper sideof the product-carrier table 29. In this case, the goods are received onthe conveyor belt and, by the propulsion of the conveyor belt via adrive roll, namely one of the rollers 35, the conveyor belt, which isprovided in a type of endless loop, can be moved, in order that,similarly to the pushing operation of the product-pusher 27, the goodsmay be pushed or moved over the product-carrier table, more precisely,in accordance with FIG. 2, from left to right or, if the drive of thecorresponding drive roll 35 is reversed, in the opposite direction.Thus, both loading and unloading of the shelves are possible with theshelf-stocking vehicles. This is particularly desirous if temporarystores for the goods are provided in the vicinity of the displayshelves, for example, above an area accessible to the customers. Thus,the shelf-stocking vehicle not only can stock the display shelf, but canalso load and unload the temporary stores.

Above and beyond that, the two-sided pusher for the goods accommodatedon product-carrier table 29 is also desirous because the shelf-stockingvehicle, which moves through the supply aisle 13 (see FIG. 1), isintended to load and supply the shelves both left and right of theaisle.

Accordingly, bilateral support and/or guide rollers 28 are provided aswell, which serve the purpose of support and/or guiding at the shelves.

FIG. 4 shows a side view of a display shelf 50, which can be loadedautomatically by a shelf-stocking vehicle 15.

Shelf 50 has a plurality of vertical struts 52 in which the shelf boards51 are accommodated on which the sales articles in a compartment 54 canbe stored. The shelf-stocking vehicle 15 can be moved along the runningrail 19, which, for example, is arranged at the ceiling of the salesroom, along the display shelf 50, as indicated by the two horizontalarrows left and right of the shelf-stocking vehicle 15 in FIG. 4.Additionally, the lower frame part 33 of the shelf-stocking vehicle canbe moved up and down via the belt suspension 24, as indicated by thedouble arrow in FIG. 4. In this way, the shelf-stocking vehicle canapproach each compartment 54 of the shelf 50, since, on account of atwo-dimensional movement along the x- and z-direction ofthree-dimensional space, the product-carrier table 29 can be alignedwith each shelf board 51 of shelf 50.

The vertical movement capability of the lower frame part 33 of theshelf-stocking vehicle 15 can also be advantageous because it can ensurethat, between different shelves, such as shelves 50 and 55 of FIG. 4,through-passage of customers 53 is ensured without any problems ofcollision with the shelf-stocking vehicle. The shelf-stocking vehicle 15can namely be moved through the raised lower frame part 33 above thecustomer passageway 53.

FIG. 5 shows the display shelf arrangement of FIG. 4 at a 90° angle.

Here, the supply aisle 13 can be clearly seen in which theshelf-stocking vehicle 15, which is shown in detail in FIGS. 2 and 3, ismovable.

In the embodiment shown, the display shelf 50 with display side 56 andsupply side 57 is shown on the left side, whereas, on the right side ofthe supply aisle 13, a supply shelf 58 is provided in which goods whichare not suitable for automatic replenishment are made available intransport and/or presentation containers 59 for sorting and loading ofthe display stands by employees. This has the advantage that theemployees themselves do not have to move the containers with the goodsfor sale through the retail business, but that the goods in thecontainers 59 can be made available in the vicinity of the displaystands. The containers 59, too, are delivered by means of theshelf-stocking vehicle 15 into the supply shelf 58.

FIG. 6 shows a horizontal section through a display shelf 50, whereasFIG. 6A shows a partial view from the display side of the shelf 50.

In accordance with the horizontal view through the display shelf store50, a shelf board 51, which is mounted by the vertical struts 52, isvisible in a plan view. The goods to be sold 45 are arranged on theshelf board 51.

Loading now proceeds in such a manner that the shelf-stocking vehicle 15approaches shelf 50 from the rear, with the support and/or guide rollers28 engaging with the running rails 61 of the shelf.

As soon as the transport protection flap 26 of the shelf-stockingvehicle 15 opens, the product pusher (not shown) can, via propulsion ofthe belt arrangement 34, push the goods for sale 45 towards the shelf50, with either the stowed transport protection flap 26 or an additionalbridging element closing the gap between the shelf board 51 and theproduct-carrier table 29.

FIG. 6 a) shows furthermore a shelf compartment 54 which is fitted withan endless conveyor belt 60 which winds its way rotatably around shelfboard 51.

As is further shown schematically, to this end can be provided ashelf-stocking vehicle 15, which also has a conveyor belt 63, whichextends on the upper side of the product-carrier table 29 and is guidedin an endless loop below the product-carrier table 29 in a circle.Conveyor belt 63 can be set in motion via drive roll 64, such that thepart of the endless conveyor belt 63 on the product-carrier table 29 ismoved towards the shelf 50 or in the opposite direction. In this way, itis possible to transport or push the goods on the conveyor belt 63 ofthe shelf-stocking vehicle 15 towards the shelf compartment 54.

Since the drive shaft 64 of the conveyor belt 63 of the shelf-stockingvehicle 15 simultaneously drives the conveyor belt 60 of the shelfcompartment via a gear (not described in more detail), for example, viaa drive wheel or a drive shaft, the goods can be transferred without anyproblem from shelf-stocking vehicle 15 to the display shelf 50.

In particular, it is also possible with such a design of the shelfcompartment 54 in accordance with the invention to move the goods forsale as far as the front side or display side of the display shelf 50.For this purpose, as shown in FIG. 6A, a narrow stop bar 62 is providedat the front side or display side of the display shelf 50 to prevent thegoods for sale 45, such as the bottles illustrated in FIG. 6 b), frombeing transported further, while the conveyor belt 60 can glide betweenshelf board 51 and the goods 45. In this way, not only is simplestocking of the shelf 50 possible, but automatic tracking of the goodsto the front side or display side of the display shelf 50 can occur,once customers have removed goods.

To be sure, this is also possible in a pure pushing process, such as,for example, in the case of the shelf-stocking vehicle 15, if acorresponding stop bar 62 is provided at the front side of the shelf 50.However, the further movement of the conveyor belt 60 induces aself-organizing arrangement of the goods 45 at the stop bar that wouldnot be possible in the case of a pure pushing process.

Above and beyond that, the provision of a conveyor belt in connectionwith shelf boards, such as are shown in FIG. 6 for compartment 54, isalso beneficial because, even independently of a shelf-stocking vehicle,tracking of the goods to be sold to the display side of the shelf 50 issimply possible if corresponding drives for the conveyor belt areprovided at shelf 50 or if the conveyor belt 60 is moved manually,preferably via a corresponding gear device or with a correspondingmanual machine in the nature of a drilling machine or a battery-powereddrill screwdriver such that the goods arranged thereon reach the frontside of the display shelf.

Although FIG. 6 shows only one compartment of the display shelf 50 witha corresponding conveyor belt 60, naturally, all compartments of theshelf 50 can be provided with corresponding conveyor belts 60, withseveral conveyor belts 60 possibly provided in one compartment and thewidths of the conveyor belts being different. In so far, the variouspossibilities illustrated in FIG. 6 are to be seen as alternativeembodiments, which do not necessarily have to be used alongside eachother.

In order that goods may be prevented from breaking out into adjacentcompartments in the case of self-organizing tracking of the goods to besold to the display side of the display shelf 50, dividing walls 65 canbe provided between the compartments.

FIG. 7 shows a shelf-stocking vehicle 15 in a loading station 70.

As can be seen in FIG. 7, the goods are delivered, for example, in atransport container 71, a so-called replenishment tray, which has abox-like shape and possesses an additional movable temporary floor 74 onwhich the goods are arranged. In the loading station 70 for theshelf-stocking vehicle 15, the temporary floor 74, as may be seen inFIGS. 8 and 8A as well, is lifted up via lifting bars 73, such that thetemporary floor 74 is on a plane with the upper side of theproduct-carrier table 29, with the pushing element 72 then pushing thegoods 45 onto the product-carrier table 29 of the shelf-stocking vehicle15. Thereafter, the transport protection flap 26, which was openedduring the loading process, can be closed again, such that the goods 45are stored safely on the shelf-stocking vehicle 15.

FIG. 9 shows the shelf-stocking vehicle 15 in the transport condition,in which the upper frame part 32 and the lower frame part 33 have closedtowards each other and are fixed in position via the sleeves or bushings39 and the pins 40. The belt of the belt suspension 24 here is in itsmaximum wound-up position. In this position, the movably mounted cover31 is arranged firmly on the goods 45, such that these are held firmlyon all sides.

FIG. 10 shows the unloading of the shelf-supply vehicle 15. Theshelf-stocking vehicle is first moved along the running rail 19 until itis opposite the corresponding column of the shelf compartment 54 of thedisplay shelf. This means that the shelf-stocking vehicle 15 is movedperpendicular to the plane of the diagram along the running rail 19until the correct position is obtained. Then, via the belt suspension24, the lower frame part 33 with the product-carrier table 29 isvertically adjusted until the upper side of the product-carrier table 29is aligned flush with the shelf board 51 of the corresponding shelfcompartment, such that the pusher 27 can push the goods 45 into theshelf 50 driven by the belts 34.

As can be seen in FIG. 11, the telescopic fork 30 can be used to pushthe goods 45 the corresponding distance into the display shelf.

The use of alternative shelf-stocking vehicle 15 illustrated in FIG. 6in collaboration with a corresponding display shelf fitted with conveyorbelts 60 would eliminate such additional propulsion. Instead, the goodscan be automatically filled into the shelf and moved to the display sideof the shelf compartment by means of the drive of the conveyor beltsboth from the shelf and from the shelf-stocking vehicle.

In the embodiments so far, the goods 45 were mostly inserted directlywithout any other containers into the shelf-stocking vehicle or into thedisplay shelf. However, it is alternatively possible to use a combinedtransport and presentation container 80, as shown in FIG. 12, or a purepresentation container 90, as shown in FIG. 13.

The transport container 80 can have foldable sidewalls, which can, forexample, be folded on the floor 84 to provide space-saving returntransport of the transport containers. Above and beyond that, however,the combined transport and presentation container 80 can additionallyhave a presentation flap 86 at one side, which exposes one part of theside 85. Additionally, however, the sidewall 85 can be designed so as tofold in on the floor 84.

In the pure presentation container 90, one sidewall 91 is very reduced,more precisely to a narrow stop bar. The adjacent sides 92 and 93 havechamfers to simplify presentation of the products even further. Only theback wall 94 is designed so as to be comparable to a sidewall of thetransport container 80.

When a presentation container is used in the retail business, forexample a supermarket, the goods have to be unpacked from the transportcontainer in which they are delivered and packed into the presentationcontainer 90 in which they are displayed in the shelf.

To this end, a repacking station 100 is provided which has pusherdevices 101 and 102 in two planes inside a transport device, for examplea roller conveyor (not shown). A turning module 103 is assigned to thepusher devices 101 and 102, the turning module having a receptacle 104in the form of a quadratic housing, that in turn, relative to the pusherdevices 101, 102, has an opening 108 for receiving a transport container80. As soon as the transport container 80 along with the goods containedtherein is arranged in the receptacle 104 of the turning module 103, acarrier 106 with corresponding telescopic supports 107 moves towards thegoods 45 in order to stabilize the position of the goods 45. Thereafter,as shown in FIG. 15, the turning module is swiveled through 180° suchthat the transport container 80 is now upside-down. The telescopicsupports 107 are then retracted, such that the goods 45 on the carrier106 are removed from the container 80, which is supported by thecontainer support 109 and the outer wall 110 of the receptacle 104. Now,as the arrow in FIG. 15 indicates, the transport container 80 can beremoved from the receptacle 104, with the pusher device 101 nowfunctioning as a traction device.

After the transport container 80 has been transported away by theconveying device (not shown), the presentation container 90 can beadvanced and inserted via the pusher device 101 into the receptacle 104of the turning module 103. The carrier 106 is then moved upwards via thetelescopic supports 107, as indicated in FIGS. 16 and 17, such that thegoods 45 are arranged in the presentation container 90. After a furtherrotation of the turning module 103 through 180°, the presentationcontainer 90 filled with the goods can be removed from the receivingspace 104 of the turning module 103 by the pusher and traction device102 for transfer to the assigned conveying device (not shown).

FIG. 18 is a plan view of a schematic arrangement of two display shelves160 and 161, which between them form a supply aisle in which the shelfsupply vehicle 150 can be moved back and forth in accordance with thearrows. The shelf-stocking vehicle 150 has two conveyor belts 151 and152, with which the goods arranged thereon can be transferred into theshelves 160 and 161.

The shelves 160 and 161 have, in a predetermined grid spacing, shelfuprights 167, between which the shelf boards are arranged.

In regard to the shelf boards, similar or different conveyor belts 162and 163 may be arranged in a different number in order that flexiblecompartmental divisions may be formed in the shelves 160 and 161. Sincethe shelf-stocking vehicle 150 can be positioned at any arbitrary pointof the shelf 160 or 161, highly flexible compartmental division ispossible. Several articles can be sorted onto one shelf board, i.e.,flexible shelf compartments can be formed.

To protect the goods in the shelves, for example from being pushed tothe rear by customers from the display side 164, fall-off guards 166 areprovided at the rear sides of the shelves 165, wherein the guards can bemovably arranged in order that loading of the shelves from the rear maybe facilitated. During loading, the fall-off guards 166 are then movedaway, as is evident in FIGS. 19 and 20 as well.

FIGS. 19 and 20 show further embodiments of a display shelf 180 and anassigned shelf-stocking vehicle 200 in a schematic side view. Shelf 180has a plurality of shelf boards or display surfaces, which have acirculating belt or circulating conveyor belt 181 that is guided viarollers 182 and 183 in the illustrated embodiment. In this way, thegoods 190 arranged in the display compartment can be tracked simply tothe display side, which is indicated on the left side of FIG. 19.

At the rear of shelf 180 is provided a fall-off guard 184 which ismounted rotatably or swivelably via a pivot 185. In the condition shownin FIG. 19, the fall-off guard 184 is active, such that, in the event ofunintended rotation of the conveyor belts 181 in the opposite directionor squeezing or pushing of the objects for sale 190 towards the rear ofthe display shelf 180, the objects for sale 190 are prevented fromfalling off because they come up against the fall-off guard 184, whichis provided in the form of a rotatable bar.

The shelf-stocking vehicle 200, which has also loaded objects for sale190 for replenishing a display compartment, also has a conveyor belt 205which is guided rotatably about rollers 201 and 203. Additionally, driverolls 202 and 204 are assigned to the rollers 201 and 203, the driverolls capable of driving the conveyor belt 181 of the shelfcompartments. In the case of shelf-stocking vehicle 200, either one orboth of the rollers 201 and 203 or/and the drive rolls 202 and 204 maybe driven by an electric motor.

If, as is shown in FIG. 20, shelf-stocking vehicle 200 is made toapproach the display compartment from below, such that the transportsurface 206 is aligned flush with the storage surface 187 of the displayshelf 180, the fall-off guard 184 is rotated by contact of the roller201 or an assigned part at the appendage 186 about the pivot bearing185, such that the gap between the transport surface 206 and the storagesurface 187 in the display shelf 180 is closed. At the same time, driveroll 202 comes into contact with roller 183 such that, givencorresponding propulsion of roller 201 directly by an electric motor orvia the transport conveyor belt 205, the drive roll 202 is also driven,which in turn drives the roller 183 and thus conveyor belt 181 of theshelf 180. As indicated with an arrow, the objects for sale 190 thenmove into the display shelf.

FIG. 21 shows a further schematic side view of a shelf-stocking vehicle250 in a supply aisle between two shelves 260 and 261. Theshelf-stocking vehicle 250 has longitudinal support elements 252 and253, which are movable either via a telescopic mount 257 or othersuitable movement means relative to the shelf-stocking vehicle 250, suchthat they can make contact with and support the opposite shelves 260 and261.

Additionally, table 251 can be moved with the transport surface or therollers 254 and 255 or the conveyor belt 256 towards a shelf, here forexample shelf 261, in order again that contact may be made with roller262 and the conveyor belt 263 of the display compartment, such that thegoods from the shelf-stocking vehicle 250 can transfer to conveyor belt263 of the shelf compartment.

Wedging of the shelf-stocking vehicle 250 in the supply aisle betweenshelves 260 and 261 can ensure localized mounting, for example,horizontally, during the transfer process. It can be advantageous if oneor more support elements 253 at one side of the shelf-support vehicleopposite the transfer side are supported during the transfer process atthe shelf. At the transfer side, support is already provided by thecontacted rollers.

FIGS. 22 and 23 show a transfer system or a transfer station of the kindthat can, for example, be realized at the transfer stations 8, 9, 10 and11 of the primary-supply route 3.

The transfer system comprises a container 300, movable along thetransport route, the container having a quadratic basic structure with afloor 301 and surrounding sidewalls 303 and 304. On the floor 301, afurther floor part 302 is inserted, such that a double floorconstruction with a loose, freely movable floor part 302 is created.

The upper floor part 302 can be raised by lifting spikes 308 of atransfer station 309 until the upper side of the upper floor part 302projects over the sidewalls 303 and 304 or is aligned flush with theirupper sides.

In the embodiment shown, bars 306 are additionally provided at the uppersides of the upper floor part 302, the bars, together with a raisedsidewall 305 of the container or of the upper floor part, forming guideelements for pushing the goods on the upper floor part 302. The bars maybe adjustably arranged transverse to the pushing direction of the pusher307 in order that different goods may be received. The goods, such asloose bottles, cans and the like, can then be pushed by the pusher 307from the upper floor part 302 to an adjacent placement surface, such asis indicated, for example, by the reference 350 in FIG. 23, with thisplacement surface preferably being identical with the driven transportsurface of a shelf-stocking vehicle. However, provision of otherplacement surfaces is also conceivable.

As also shown in FIG. 23, the transfer station 309 is integrated into atransport route, such as the primary supply route 3, with the latterformed by adjacent roller conveyors 310 and 320. Naturally, othertransport means are also conceivable here.

FIG. 24 shows a display shelf 400, which has a frame 401, on both sidesof which a plurality of shelf boards 405 are arranged. The shelf boardseach have a conveyor belt (not shown in any more detail) which is guidedaround the drive roll 403 and deflecting roller 404 at the end faces ofthe shelf boards 405.

At the display side, the shelf boards 405 have a stop bar 410, whichprevents goods from falling down during automatic tracking of the goodsfor sale by the conveyor belts.

In the interior or at the side of the frame 401 is provided the drivefor the shelf boards 405 or their conveyor belts, the drive comprisingan electric motor 406 and a drive belt 409. The drive belt 409 in theform of a continuous belt is guided around the drive shaft 407 of theelectric motor 406 and the deflection shaft 408 at the opposing upperside of the frame

The drive belt 409, which can also be alternatively formed as a drivechain or a comparable design, makes contact with the drive rolls 403 atthe inside of the shelf boards 405 and drives these accordingly. Toensure transport of the conveyor belt at the upper side of the shelfboards 405 outwards, the drive belt 409, on one side, makes contact withthe outside of the drive rolls 403, whereas, on the opposite side, it isprovided with the reverse direction of movement at the inside of thedrive rolls 403. To obtain good contact pressure of the drive beltagainst the drive rolls 403 of the conveyor belts, correspondingcounter-rollers, for example, spring-mounted counter-rollers may beprovided, which, for the sake of simplicity, are not shown.

With the display shelf of FIG. 24, it is possible to have continuousreplenishment of goods to the front side or display side of the shelfboards 405. To this end, the electric motor 406 need merely ensure slowtransport of the conveyor belt on the shelf boards 405 towards thedisplay side via the drive belt 409. In this connection, an extremelyslow speed can be chosen such that continuous transport can be set.

Additionally, it is also possible to operate the drive onlyintermittently, for example, at intervals or on request from acorresponding control device.

FIG. 25 shows a further embodiment of a display shelf 450 in whichvarious shelf compartments or shelf boards 452 and 453 a,b are arrangedin a frame 451.

While the shelf boards 452 each have a drive shaft 455, which isarranged along the entire length of the display shelf, the drive shaftfor the shelf compartments 453 a,b is arranged merely for a subsectionof the display shelf.

In order to allow here as well that the conveyor belts of all shelfcompartments or shelf boards are driven by a central drive, a so-calledover-drive, which is formed by the drive wheels 459 and the continuousbelt 460, is provided. At adjacent shelf boards 453 a and 453 b, a drivewheel 459 is provided at the corresponding drive rolls, over which runscontinuous belt 460, such that the drive of the first drive roll of theshelf board 453 a can be transferred to the drive roll of the shelfboard 453 b.

The drive roll of the shelf board 453 a is executed via an electricmotor 454 and a continuous drive chain 457, which engages with drivewheels 456 of the drive rolls of the respective shelf boards. The drivechain 457 is guided over a housed deflecting shaft 458.

FIG. 26 is a further representation of a drive for a display shelf ofthe invention in which, again, a drive belt 507 is guided in an endlessloop via the drive shaft 506 of an electric motor 500 and a deflectingshaft 508. In the display shelf, for which the drive of FIG. 26 isprovided, short shelf boards 501 and long shelf boards 502 are provided,with the drive having the drive belt 507 driving both the drive rolls504 and also 510 of the short 501 and long 502 shelf boards.

Through the drive of the drive roll 504, the conveyor belt 503, which isguided as an endless loop around the drive roll 504 and the deflectingroller 505 of the shelf board 502, is driven to convey the goods forsale towards the display side. In the same way, the drive roll 510 ofthe short shelf board 501 is driven in order to move the conveyor beltwith the goods accordingly. The remaining short shelf boards 501, whichdo not make contact with the drive belt 507, are driven via a so-calledover-drive in the form of an endless over-drive belt 509 by the drivenroller 510, such that here, too, a central drive for moving all conveyorbelts in the various and differently arranged shelf boards 501 and 502suffices. The drive in this regard occurs on the rollers arranged at theinside or rear side of the display shelf, while the remaining rollers onthe display side merely serve as deflecting rollers. Alternatively,therefore, the deflecting rollers can also be swapped for other glidingelements.

FIGS. 27 and 28 show a further display shelf 600, which comprises theparts 601 and 608, which in turn independently form separate displayshelves.

The parts 601 and 608 each have a frame in which are provided shelfboards 605 with corresponding conveyor belts 615, which are guidedaround a drive roll 602 and a deflecting roller 603. At the respectivedisplay side, stop bars 616 are provided at the shelf boards 605, againin order to prevent goods transported to the display side from fallingoff. Drive rolls 602 are driven by a drive belt 610, which is guided inan endless loop around the deflecting roller 604 and the drive shaft 614of the electric motor 606.

Each part 601 and 608 has a separate drive for its shelf boards, withthe drive of shelf part 608 comprising the motor 612, the drive belt 609and the deflecting shaft 613.

As a comparison of FIGS. 27 and 28 shows, the shelf part 608 is, by wayof the rollers or wheels 607 at the bottom of the frame, designed to bemovable, such that the shelf part 608 can be moved in accordance withthe arrows shown in FIGS. 27 and 28. This may proceed both manually andvia a drive device (not shown). Through the movement of the shelf part608, a temporary space 617 is created between the shelf parts 601 and608, such that a replenishment aisle for loading the display shelveswith goods from the rear is created. This means it is possible to loadthe display shelves in accordance with the first-in, first-outprinciple, without the need to remove all goods from the display shelfwhen refilling with fresh goods.

On account of the design of the drive or drives for the conveyor beltsof the shelf boards with corresponding idling devices, it is possible touse a previously described shelf-stocking vehicle for automatic loadingand tracking of the goods or also to manually load the display shelfindependently of the tracking state of the goods.

Although the display shelf 600 in FIGS. 27 and 28 is depicted such thatonly one part, namely part 608, is movable, a further embodiment couldprovide for both parts, i.e. the shelf part 601 and 608, to be movable.

The embodiments shown illustrate advantageous realizations of the ideaof the invention, without the intention to restrict it to theseembodiments. Rather, in accordance with the scope of the followingpatent claims, a plurality of further embodiments can realize thepresent invention, with especially combinations of individualcharacteristics of the embodiments shown being conceivable.

1-67. (canceled)
 68. A shelf-stocking vehicle for transporting goods,especially a plurality of different individual pieces to a shelfcomprising: a transport surface for receiving the goods; movement meansfor moving the vehicle; and drive means for driving the movement meansor the vehicle, wherein the vehicle is equipped such that it canautomatically move along a predetermined route, and the transportsurface can be aligned two-dimensionally along two directions of spatialcoordinates relative to the shelf, wherein, assigned to the transportsurface, are handling means for the goods placeable on the transportsurface, wherein, with the aid of the handling means, the goods can bepropelled parallel to the transport surface towards the shelf andvice-versa, and wherein the shelf-stocking vehicle comprises a frame,which is formed into parts with an upper part and a lower part, whereinthe upper part comprises the movement means and drive means, while thelower part has the transport surface and the handling means, and whereinthe upper and lower parts are arranged so as to be movable relative toeach other.
 69. The shelf-stocking vehicle in accordance with claim 68,wherein the handling means comprise at least one of a pusher for pushingthe goods over the transport surface and of a conveyor belt, which isprovided on the upper side of the transport surface and is guided in atype of endless loop over end faces and at an underside of the transportsurface.
 70. The shelf-stocking vehicle in accordance with claim 68,wherein the handling means comprise at least one of gliding and guideelements for conveyor belts.
 71. The shelf-stocking vehicle inaccordance with claim 69, wherein several conveyor belts are providedparallel to each other, which may be driven independently of each other.72. The shelf-stocking vehicle in accordance with claim 69, wherein thehandling means have at least one drive roll for a conveyor belt.
 73. Theshelf-stocking vehicle in accordance with claim 68, wherein at least onetransition element is provided for extending the transport surface alongthe pushing direction of the handling means or opposite thereto to forma pushing surface.
 74. The shelf-stocking vehicle in accordance withclaim 68, wherein the movement means have at least one of running wheelsand carrying wheels for interaction with a running rail.
 75. Theshelf-stocking vehicle in accordance with claim 68, wherein the drivemeans have a drive belt disk for interaction with a toothed belt. 76.The shelf-stocking vehicle in accordance with claim 68, wherein theshelf-stocking vehicle comprises a rope, belt or strap drive for movingupper and lower parts to each other.
 77. The shelf-stocking vehicle inaccordance with claim 68, wherein at least one of the handling means,the drive means and other movable components have a drive, comprising anelectric motor.
 78. The shelf-stocking vehicle in accordance with claim68, wherein sidewalls are provided peripherally around the transportsurface to protect the goods, said sidewalls extending at right anglesto the transport surface and having one or two opposing, closableopenings for receiving and dispensing the goods, wherein a gap betweenthe transport surface and at least two sidewalls is provided throughwhich a conveyor belt is transported.
 79. The shelf-stocking vehicle inaccordance with claim 68, wherein a goods protection cover is providedopposite the transport surface, said cover protecting the goods bywedging when the upper and lower parts close together.
 80. Theshelf-stocking vehicle in accordance with claim 79, wherein the goodsprotection cover has an elastic material on the goods side.
 81. Theshelf-stocking vehicle in accordance with claim 68, wherein at least onemovable bracing element is provided for lateral bracing against adjacentwalls, shelves and the like during transfer of the goods to a shelf orfor wedging the shelf-stocking vehicle between two opposing shelves. 82.The shelf-stocking vehicle in accordance with claim 68, wherein theshelf-stocking vehicle is designed such that at least one of thetransport surface and the handling means are moveable relative to atleast one of a frame of the shelf-stocking vehicle and the movementmeans.
 83. The shelf-stocking vehicle in accordance with claim 82,wherein the transport surface is slidable parallel to the transportsurface.
 84. The shelf-stocking vehicle in accordance with claim 68,wherein the shelf-stocking vehicle is fitted with a drive by means ofwhich external components can be driven.